Second Dive
by greyrondo
Summary: Riku's other half pays a visit to him in his sleep...


Disclaimer: I don't own KH.

This happened when I was trying to write for my longer KH fic 'The Kingdom'. While it wasn't exactly what I was going for, I'm pretty happy with the result. Please enjoy, and tell me what you think!

_I've been here before…_

Riku breathed in, opening his eyes slowly. The light from below was blinding, and the darkness cloying above was staggering.

But the window was different this time. Instead of stained glass, it was blank.

_Then you know what to do. Step forward._

Riku paused, then obeyed. He knew who the voice was, now—the last time he had been distrusting, suspicious. That was what had welcomed the Darkness into his open heart.

The voice was nothing more and nothing less than a representation of his own heart, and he knew it would never want to do him harm.

He stepped forward, but the window under his feet did not shatter. Instead, the very air slipped sideways, and his Darkened double materialized in front of him.

"No fear, Riku?" he asked.

Riku thought for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "Nah. How's it going, my other self?" he asked, then reached forward to his Darkness in a casual embrace. They stayed there for a moment before the Darkened half reciprocated.

"Fairly well," his Darkened half replied easily as he pulled back.

"So… what're you doing here? Or what am I doing here?" Riku wanted to know.

And his other half smiled wryly. "You haven't told me yet how you're doing," he reminded almost coyly.

Riku smiled, and laughed, shaking his head. "Sometimes I can't believe we're the same person. I guess it makes it easier for us to finish each other's sentences, though, right? It's been—"

"Boring?" the other half interjected, and then laughed quietly.

"Pretty much," Riku admitted. "So I might be seeing you again soon. You know how I get around boredom," he joked, but the hesitant expression on his other half's face told him immediately that there was something more to this.

"Riku, let me see your keyblade."

"Huh? Oh, uh, sure," Riku stammered, as he summoned it from the depths of his heart. It shimmered, giving off the subtle, refreshing light of dawn as it formed in his hand.

His other half reached for the hilt, and grasped it.

"No, don't let go," his other half commanded. "You see… this keyblade isn't the same one that you used in The World that Never Was, even though it looks identical. We can both wield it."

Riku looked into his mirror's expression for a long moment. "Okay," he said hesitantly. "But… why is it different? And why do we both need to wield it? Everything's over."

"Tell me you don't believe that," his other half laughed, but his voice was wrought with a faint sadness. "I… I was happy to give you some peace, to live here on your island without worry of either Light or Dark. But there's something I must tell you, Riku—that's why I'm here. It's about the keyblades…"

And his other half let go. The keyblade fell to Riku's side, and then disappeared now that there was no need for it.

"Riku, you may never be able to master them, but take solace in knowing that your hands bring them into being."

"What? Me? No, you're lying…"

"Think back, Riku. Who was the original Keyblade Master?"

Riku paused. "I… that was me. Okay, sure, but how do you explain everything else? What about Mickey's?"

"Had he used one before meeting you?"

"…how would I know something like that?"

"Sora's Keyblade formed because you felt, on some level, that he needed a weapon with which to protect himself. The Keyblade of the Heart only formed when you wished it into creation. And where did Kairi's keyblade come from—you gave her one, didn't you? And where, for that matter, did yours originate?"

"I…" Riku began, but he couldn't find an answer.

And his other half took a step back, and then another. He turned around, as if to leave, but then looked over his shoulder and back at Riku again.

"It's not over yet. I'll be… seeing you soon," he ended weakly. "Bye for now?"

Riku didn't say a single thing, not immediately. But when he found his voice again, he just waved. "Yeah. See you around," he said softly.

_We really are the same person, aren't we?_

_I suppose we wouldn't be able to coexist otherwise. _

_It's kind of comforting, being able to talk to yourself like this. Wait… how long? How much time do I have?_

_Are you asking about how much time until you leave the island, or how much longer you must stay?_

_I… don't know. Both. Neither. Tell you what—don't tell me. I'll just be ready. _


End file.
